Peroxidic explosives such as TATP or HMTD are “self elaborates” which can easily be produced in a large quantity from household chemicals. The high brisance and thus poor handleability for even small amounts of this material presents a safety challenge for the provision of samples of the genuine material. Peroxidic explosives such as TATP can be handled safely as solutions in lipophilic ionic liquids. The virtually constant evaporation rate of the peroxidic explosive can be utilized to simulate the odor profile of a larger explosive charge. The use for calibration purposes is likewise conceivable. The nonmeasurable vapor pressure of the ionic liquid does not influence the sample quality. The dissolution of the peroxidic explosive in combination with a reducing component in the ionic liquid permanently deactivates the explosive and can be used for desensitization.
The training of sniffer dogs and the calibration of measuring instruments have to be carried out using the genuine material. Substitutes cannot be used for this reason. Triacetone triperoxide (TATP) can be obtained in the synthesis as TATP hydrate which is easier to handle and has a slightly lower brisance. On the other hand, pure TATP is virtually unusable because of the friction- and shock-sensitivity and ignition by electrostatic charges as described by R. Meyer et al., in Explosives, 6th Ed. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim (2007) and J. C. Oxley et al., Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics 30:127 (2005). To safely generate small traces of explosives, genuine material microamounts test specimens (EMPK) can be used. Here, the explosive material (0.5-2.0 mg) is present on a metal foam as described in the EMPK® safety test, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, AZ: II.3/4726/04; and certification by Wehrwissenschaftliches Institut für Werk-, Explosiv- and Betriebsstoffe (WIWEB), doc. no.: 330/27454/04; source: http://www.duelsner.de/seiten/deutsch/produkt.html). However, it has been found in studies in a stream of air that these EMPKs are discharged very quickly because of the volatility of the peroxidic explosives and can therefore be used for only a few minutes. This is problematical for, in particular, an exercise in the open with natural air movements. In addition, only very small TATP concentrations can be achieved per EMPK. Explosive samples (microamounts) dissolved in acetonitrile are available as standards from a number of suppliers. For TATP, this is, for example, the AccuStandard company (source: http://www.accustandard.com; catalogue number: M-8330-ADD24, 0.1 mg TATP in 1 ml CH3CN, cost: US$ 75). The amounts present therein are very small and the added amounts of toxic and volatile solvent are very large, so that use for calibrating gas analytes by means of biological or electronic noses is difficult or prohibitive. The current importance of the TATP problems can be deduced from the large number of published detection methods (as described, for example, in: Detection of Liquid Explosives and Flammable Agents in Connection with Terrorism, Eds: H. Schubert, A. Kuznetsov, NATO Science for Peace and Security Series, Springer, Dordrecht (2008); R. Schulte-Ladbeck et al., Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 386: 559 (2006); R. A. A. Munoz et al., Analyst 132:560 (2007); D. Lu et al., Analyst 131:1279 (2006); D. F. Laine et al., Anal. Chim. Acta 608:56 (2008); R. Schulte-Ladbeck et al., Analyst 127:1152 (2002); M. E. Germain and M. J. Knapp, Inorg. Chem. 47:9748 (2008); S. Malashikhin and N. S. Finney, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130:12846 (2008); U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,717; E. Sella and D. Shabat, Chem. Commun. 5701 (2008)). To validate these possible detection methods, a TATP source which is safe to handle and displays good performance is required.
The high brisance of peroxidic explosives makes the analysis of substances found extremely dangerous since material has to be taken mechanically from these pulverulent solids for doubt-free identification. Dried peroxidic explosives such as TATP, and in particular HMTD, can be ignited in this way. Such substance finds usually have diesel fuel poured over them and after a certain time the explosive can be collected mechanically without danger. Owing to the complexity of the diesel mixture consisting of several thousand volatile components, later analyses are no longer possible and a forensic evaluation is thus impossible. The provision of a suitable stabilizer is therefore desirable.
Ionic liquids are innovative solvents having a negligible vapor pressure as described in Ionic Liquids in Synthesis, Eds: P. Wasserscheidt, T. Welton, WILEY-VCH, Weinheim (2003), and should therefore not influence the olfactory impression of TATP and other peroxidic explosives. Stabilization of explosives for better processability, especially nitro compounds, has recently been described in US Patent Publication no. 2008/0251169 A1.
The TATP samples handled hitherto have, for safety reasons, only a very low genuine material content. Since TATP is applied there as crystalline material, the brisance of the explosive is still present. The odor simulation of an actual explosive charge of TATP or substance find with a suspicion of TATP can therefore be imitated only unsatisfactorily. In addition, the very small amount of analyte in EMPKs is very quickly discharged in a stream of air. The known test specimens also have a high price (0.5 mg TATP approximately 40.−). About 10 test specimens are required for test measurements in a stream of air and these are freed of TATP within a few minutes.